Traditionally, the idol is immersed in the Arabian Sea off Chowpatty in south Mumbai's Girgaon before 9 am. Pics/Shadab Khan
The idol had reached Chowpatty over eight hours earlier, after a 28-hour-long grand procession that began from Lalbaug on Saturday afternoon
According to officials, the team had to wait for the high tide to recede before proceeding with the immersion process
“The idol was finally transferred from its platform onto a newly constructed raft at 4:45 pm, with assistance from hundreds of volunteers and local fishermen,” an official said, as per the PTI
The move was met with loud cheers from thousands gathered at the site, as chants of "Lalbaugcha Rajacha Vijay Aso!", "Hi Shaan Konachi? Lalbaugcha Rajachi!", and "Ganpati Bappa Morya!" echoed across the beach
Speaking to reporters, Sudhir Salavi, honorary secretary of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, explained that the immersion procession had arrived 10 to 15 minutes later than planned, while the high tide had begun earlier than expected
"We attempted the immersion earlier, but it wasn't going smoothly. So we halted the process and waited. Local fishermen advised us that the raft would be stable enough during the next high tide, which is expected around 11 pm, so we will proceed then," he said
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